The Daily Briefing Tuesday, May 24, 2022

AROUND THE NFL

PHILADELPHIA

The signing of CB JAMES BRADBERRY to go with CB DARIUS SLAY has Reuben Frank of NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com ranking the top CB duos in Eagles history:

On paper, it sure looks like the Eagles have one of the most dynamic cornerback tandems in franchise history.

James Bradberry has 15 interceptions since he was drafted in the second round by the Panthers in 2016, and Darius Slay has 23 INTs since 2014, his first year as a starter with the Lions.

Bradberry made his first Pro Bowl in 2020, Slay made his fourth Pro Bowl last season.

Over the past six years, they’re the only NFL cornerbacks with 15 or more INTs and 80 or more pass breakups.

They still have to go out there and perform. We’ve all seen seeming sure things that turned into disaster. And it can be ugly. Especially at corner. But if Bradberry and Slay play up to expectations, the Eagles will have one of their best cornerback duos ever.

How good? We’ll answer that in January. But for now, let’s take a look at the top 10 Eagles cornerback duos throughout history.

1. Bobby Taylor / Troy Vincent [1996-2002]

The Eagles drafted Taylor in the second round in 1995 and signed Vincent a year later, creating one of the NFL’s top cornerback tandems. From 1996 through 2003, they manned the Eagles’ deep secondary alongside Hall of Fam safety Brian Dawkins.

During that eight-year period, Vincent went to five Pro Bowls and Taylor one, and the Eagles reached the playoffs five times, had the No. 4 pass defense in the NFL and allowed the second-fewest passing touchdowns.

2. Lito Sheppard / Sheldon Brown [2002-2007]

Taylor and Vincent were still going strong when the Eagles drafted Sheppard and Brown in 2002. Sheppard became a starter in 2003 and Brown in 2004, and from 2004 through 2008 they were as good a combo as there was in the NFL.

They combined for 37 interceptions and six pick-6’s during a period the Eagles went to two NFC Championship Games and had the NFL’s 4th-best pass defense.

3. Eric Allen / Ben Smith [1990-1991, 1993]

If Smith hadn’t torn his knee up in Cleveland late in the 1991 season Allen and Smith might have been the best Eagles cornerback duo ever. Smith, the Eagles’ 1st-round pick in 1990, was a budding star his first year and a half before tearing up his knee in the same game he ended Bernie Kosar’s NFL-record streak of passes without an interception.

Smith was never the same, although he did play another four years, mainly at safety. But for the 1990 playoff season and much of the record-setting 1991 season, Allen and Smith were as good as anybody.

4. Herm Edwards / Roynell Young [1980-1985]

Edwards had 33 career interceptions, 8th-most in NFL history by a corner who never made a Pro Bowl. He was just a very consistent and steady player, and starting in his fourth season he was matched up with Young, the Eagles’ 1st-round pick in 1980, a starter from Day 1 and a Pro Bowler by Year 2.

For six years, including the 1980 Super Bowl season, they gave the Eagles outstanding cornerback play spanning the Dick Vermeil and Marion Campbell eras.

5. Tom Brookshier / Jimmy Carr [1959-1961]

Brooksheir spent his entire seven-year career with the Eagles and Carr was here for five years, but they only overlapped for three years — the last three years of Brookshier’s career.

During this span, Brookie made two Pro Bowls and had six interceptions and Carr had nine interceptions, and the Eagles won an NFL-high 27 games and won their third NFL Championship.

6. Sheldon Brown / Asante Samuel [2008-2009]

For one year, the Eagles had Sheppard, Brown and Samuel, and for two years Brown and Samuel were the starters.

Talk about two dynamic corners.

In two years playing alongside Brown, Samuel had 13 interceptions and made two Pro Bowls and Brown had six INTs and should have made a Pro Bowl. In 2009, Samuel had nine INTs and Brown had five, the only time in franchise history both Eagles corners had at least five INTs.

The Eagles made the playoffs both years they played together, had the 5th-ranked pass defense in the league over those two seasons and reached the NFC Championship Game in 2008.

7. Eric Allen / Mark McMillian [1992-1994]

After Ben Smith’s injury, McMillian held down CB2 across from Allen for the next few years. The 5-foot-7, 154-pound McMillian — originally a 10th-round pick — had eight INTs in four years with the Eagles and 23 in his career, including eight with three pick-6’s with the Chiefs in 1997.

During their three years together, Allen had 13 INTs, four pick-6’s and made the Pro Bowl each year.

8. Jalen Mills / Ronald Darby [2017-2019]

They only started 25 games together over three years, but you have to include Mills and Darby for what they did down the stretch and in the postseason in 2017.

They’re the only cornerbacks in Eagles history to win a Super Bowl as starters, and as inconsistent as both may have been the rest of their career, they both played terrific football during the Super Bowl season and the playoffs.

9. Irv Cross / Ben Scotti [1962-1963]

Another duo that only got two years together, but Cross and Scotti were a solid tandem during a couple lean years during the Nick Skorich era.

Cross only spent five years with the Eagles but had 15 INTs and Scotti, a Newark, N.J., native, who went undrafted out of Maryland, was only here two years but had five INTs. In their two years together, Cross had seven INTs and Scotti had five.

10. Joe Lavender / John Outlaw [1973-1975]

Outlaw spent his last six years with the Eagles after starting his career with the Patriots, and had 13 interceptions from 1973 through 1977.

During his three years playing alongside Lavender, he had nine INTs, and Lavender had four before moving on to Washington, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler. Really good corners on really bad teams.

WASHINGTON

As key members of the media hope for the destruction of Daniel Snyder, he’s buying land for a stadium in Virginia.  The AP gets the scoop:

The Washington Commanders have bought land in Woodbridge, Virginia, for what could be a potential site of the NFL team’s next stadium, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the team had not announced the acquisition. The Commanders paid approximately $100 million for 200 acres of land in Prince William County and are still considering other locations in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, the person said.

This site is just over 20 miles outside D.C., about a 45-minute drive from RFK Stadium, which was the team’s home from 1961-1996. The Commanders’ current lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, expires in 2027.

ESPN, which first reported the sale, added that the site is the team’s preferred choice for a 60,000-seat domed stadium that would be available for use year-round and include a practice facility and amphitheater. Building a stadium that could host a Super Bowl has long been considered one of the organization’s goals.

Owner Dan Snyder and Co. have been looking at several possible sites in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, though the specter of investigations into the team’s finances clouded how those jurisdictions might handle helping him finance a stadium.

Woodbridge is almost due south of DC, well outside the Beltway and near the banks of the Potomac.

But it turns out the land isn’t really in Woodbridge, it is in Dumfries, which means the Commanders might be Marines since Dumfries is adjacent to Quantico.

The team has been considering three potential sites for a new stadium, in Sterling near Dulles International Airport, in Woodbridge off Telegraph and Summit School roads and a site near I-95 and within the Potomac Shores development.

The ESPN report did not make it clear whether the team purchased land near Woodbridge or Dumfries, but JP Finlay, a Commanders’ reporter for NBC, tweeted that sources told him the land is the Woodbridge property.  The Times-Dispatch reported that the purchase is for the Woodbridge property as well.

The two Prince William County sites reportedly under consideration for a new stadium for the Washington Commanders NFL team are in the Potomac Shores development and on undeveloped land near Telegraph and Summit School roads (pictured here) in Woodbridge. Summit School Road will eventually be extended to the commuter parking lots shown in the lower part of the photo. The aerial photos were taken last summer.

Officials of the NFL team, currently based in Ashburn, have been meeting with state legislators and local officials since late last year. The Commanders’ lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., ends in 2027. The stadium was built in 1997.

The purchased land is the team’s preferred site for a new stadium, ESPN reported, but other options remain open.

“There’s a chance the franchise will buy another 65 to 70 acres at a site that is approximately 23 miles from Washington, D.C., and would be right off an exit on I-95 in Dumfries, Virginia. It would be approximately 80 miles from Richmond,” the network wrote.

ARIZONA

With QB KYLER MURRAY skipping OTA’s, the Cardinals are announced as the team that will open their in-season drama up to the “Hard Knocks” cameras.  Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com:

The Cardinals pioneered the idea of having cameras chronicle their regular season behind the scenes when they were the subject of the first season of Amazon’s “All Or Nothing,” which followed the Cardinals in the 2015 season before being released in the summer of 2016.

Now, they will again have cameras covering their season, but this time, the peek behind the curtain will be immediate.

The NFL and team announced Monday the Cardinals will be the 2022 team in “Hard Knocks: In Season,” a spin-off of the usual training camp “Hard Knocks” produced by NFL Films and HBO. Last year, the Colts were the first team to take part in a regular-season version.

“Anytime you get a chance to highlight some of the great people we have in this building — not just players, but coaches, staff — and tell their stories, see a different side of them, I think it’ll be really good TV,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said.

“Talking with (Colts GM) Chris Ballard and what they went through last year, some positives, some negatives, but they were 3-5 when the show came and they won six out of seven and it felt like it was a shot in the arm having (the cameras) come in. We’ll see.”

The show will be available on HBO and stream on HBO Max, and will begin airing in November.

“Last season Hard Knocks made an unprecedented leap, documenting an NFL regular season in real time for the first time ever with the Indianapolis Colts,” NFL Films vice president and senior coordinating producer Keith Cossrow said. “It was a vivid and illuminating look at the life of an NFL team.

“This season, we are eager to build on that success and go even further with one of the most exciting teams in the NFL. We can’t wait to get to work in Arizona, and we thank Michael Bidwill, Steve Keim, coach (Kliff) Kingsbury and the entire Cardinals organization for this opportunity.”

The episodes will begin after the suspension of DeAndre Hopkins has ended.

The “All or Nothing” season was the best Cardinals’ year since their Super Bowl appearance, with the Cardinals posting a 13-3 regular-season record before losing in the NFC Championship game.

The original “Hard Knocks” series debuted in 2001 and features a team throughout training camp and the preseason. This season’s regular “Hard Knocks” team is the Detroit Lions, with that arc debuting Aug. 9.

Tight end Zach Ertz was playing for the Eagles when they filmed “All or Nothing” during the 2019 season, and acknowledged players have “mixed emotions” with the cameras always on.

“Hopefully it won’t distract anyone and we’ll be the best versions of ourselves and win a lot of games,” Ertz said.

When it was pointed out the Colts got hot once the cameras started filming last season, Ertz joked “if that’s the recipe they can be here all year.”

Kingsbury said coaches and players are going to “want to be on your A-game” with the cameras always following, and added that it might be a motivational tool “if you use it the right way.”

As to who might be the star of the season?

“If they could go film Hop while he’s suspended, that would be the best TV,” Kingsbury deadpanned. “But I don’t think they can.”

LOS ANGELES RAMS

While QBs AARON RODGERS and KYLER MURRAY are nowhere to be found at OTAs, QB MATTHEW STAFFORD seems to set an appropriate middle distance to load management.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was present for the first day of organized team activities. But Stafford did not throw Monday.

Stafford confirmed that he received an anti-inflammatory shot in his right elbow for an issue he dealt with last season. He also briefly wore a brace to limit his range of motion while healing, Jordan Rodrigue of TheAthletic.com reported last month.

Stafford said he doesn’t know yet whether he will throw in any of the OTAs or the minicamp or wait until training camp begins in July.

“Still working on it,” Stafford said, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

Rams coach Sean McVay seems unconcerned, and it seems likely if there was any concern, the team would have signed a fourth quarterback by now. Stafford, John Wolford and Bryce Perkins are the only quarterbacks on the roster.

That means Wolford and Perkins will get a lot of work this spring as Stafford continues to rest his arm.

SEATTLE

Pete Carroll on the state of play at QB. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said earlier this month that Geno Smith “automatically is ahead” of Drew Lock in the team’s quarterback competition because he has experience in the system after spending the last couple of seasons in Seattle.

That leaderboard hasn’t changed over the last couple of weeks of the offseason program, but it doesn’t sound like Smith is extending his advantage over the former Bronco. Carroll spoke to reporters on Monday and said that Lock is measuring up well while learning the offense.

 “Geno really has the package nailed, so I have that to gauge him on. He’s hanging with Geno throughout all of this. We’re not holding anything back,” Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

There’s a long way to go before the Seahawks will be under any pressure to name a starter for Week 1 and there could still be an addition to the depth chart that shakes things up, so it remains to be seen if Smith’s head start remains in place by the time they get to the finish line.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

QB JUSTIN HERBERT is even more of an imposing figure in 2022.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was noticeably muscular at Monday’s opening of minicamp, and he says he’s been working hard in the weight room and gaining weight.

Herbert, who weighed 236 pounds at the Scouting Combine coming out of college, said he’s now up to 245 after working hard with strength and conditioning coach Jonathan Brooks.

“Just lifting, we’ve just been getting after it, and thankful to Jonathan Brooks, who’s been leading the charge,” Herbert said.

This is the time of year when players often say they’re in the best shape of their lives (Patriots quarterback Mac Jones said the same yesterday), but the 6-foot-6 Herbert legitimately looks bigger and stronger than ever before.

CLEVELAND

The Browns have re-signed EDGE JADEVEON CLOWNEY.  Zac Jackson of The Athletic:

The explosion, savvy and pure power that make Jadeveon Clowney so rare made him an important piece of last season’s Cleveland Browns, the edge rusher’s fourth team in four years. Those things made Clowney a priority free agent for the Browns this year even as Clowney remained unsigned for more than two months after the new league year and player movement period officially began.

The Browns are both a better and scarier defense with the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Clowney lined up on the same line as the 6-foot-4, 272-pound Myles Garrett. That’s why so many Browns fans likely felt a sense of relief Sunday when the Browns and Clowney, 29, reportedly agreed to a new one-year deal that will pay Clowney approximately $11 million for 2022.

In a wildly expensive and aggressive Browns offseason, it always felt like a deal was coming, one that would affirm Clowney had found a home opposite Garrett on a mostly young defense that finished 2021 playing like a top-five unit. After playing in Houston in 2018, Seattle in 2019 and Tennessee in 2020, home was something that had become a bit of a foreign concept to Clowney.

“I hate bouncing around like this because you have to pack up all your stuff and move and find new stuff to eat,” Clowney said last December. “I’m always on the map (app on the phone), on DoorDash or something. Like, ‘What’s the good stuff around here?’”

Hungrily scanning through DoorDash makes Clowney a lot like the rest of us. The Browns are more interested in the aforementioned talents that make Clowney different.

During this all-in offseason, there always seemed to be a void on the Browns depth chart at left defensive end that would eventually be filled by Clowney. That’s not the only place Clowney will play, and it would make sense that in his second season in coordinator Joe Woods’ defense, Clowney and Garrett both will have more freedom as they are unleashed to hungrily seek opposing quarterbacks the way Clowney has sought take-out food over the last four seasons.

When the topic was broached late last season, Clowney made clear that he was enjoying his time in Cleveland and liked what the Browns were building — but also that he’d want his money when the time came. Clowney’s past travels always made it a little less than certain he would return to the Browns for a second season. Later in that same food-based conversation last December, Clowney emphasized that he didn’t call the shots for the Browns — but that he called his own shots.

“People say, ‘You’ve been bouncing around the league (the last few years),’” he said. “But I tell people, ‘I choose to bounce around. Don’t get it twisted.’”

He has called his own shot again, and he’s getting a second sizable contract from the Browns. Clowney only missed one game due to injury last season, and that was in October. He missed two in December due to COVID-19 protocols, but he totaled 5.5 sacks in the last three games he played. The Browns are fine with Garrett running up the gaudy sack numbers while Clowney does a lot of his work rushing inside and playing the run. Clowney’s 14 games last season were the most he has played since 2018; that was also the last time he had nine sacks in a season.

If Clowney is going to be available, he’s going to be disruptive. If the Browns can successfully mix their newfound coaching and locker-room continuity with the athleticism they have at all three levels of the defense, then they should be able to maximize all of their pieces.

This is a team that thinks it’s ready to become a true AFC contender, one that’s certainly better with Clowney than without him. If knowing his favorite dinner spots makes life easier for Clowney, then consider that an added benefit to a deal that seemed to be positive for both sides.

PITTSBURGH

Mark Kaboly of The Athletic on the 2022 prognosis for QB KENNY PICKETT.

Now, tell me: Why can’t Kenny Pickett be the Steelers’ Week 1 starter against the Bengals?

Whatever reason you can muster up for why the 20th pick and first quarterback selected in April’s draft, the Steelers’ first Round 1 quarterback since 2004 (predating Mike Tomlin’s 16 drafts) should start the season on the bench matters not … except for one.

What Pickett can accomplish over the next four weeks — starting Tuesday with the first of 10 OTAs at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and followed by a three-day minicamp — is hyper-critical in how the Steelers will view Pickett heading into training camp at the end of July.

It won’t be based on which part of the schedule the Steelers can slide him into the starting lineup most smoothly. That includes the popular landing spot after Week 3, where he would have 10 days to get ready for the Jets. Most people’s favorite is a Week 7 Monday night game in Miami, where Pickett would miss the gauntlet of three games in 11 days to start the season and back-to-back games against Buffalo and Tampa Bay in October.

It will be based on his readiness, and rightfully so.

In all the years Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers, how many times has he had a preconceived notion about a player? How many times does he go into a particularly satisfying soul-revealing (for him) competition — in this instance with Mitch Trubisky and even Mason Rudolph — already knowing the outcome?

It doesn’t happen, and it won’t happen at the most important position on the field, even considering this is the first time he goes into OTAs, minicamp and training camp — and the season, for that matter — not knowing who his starting quarterback will be on Sept. 11.

Even if Trubisky does step under center for the first snap on Tuesday, it doesn’t mean a thing. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rudolph is with the second team, although I wouldn’t anticipate that. For Pickett to have any chance to be able to contribute to this team right from the start, he needs to establish a solid foundation.

That foundation starts with OTAs.

It matters not what Pickett did in college, and how Tomlin and Kevin Colbert raved about his decision-making and accuracy following the selection. If he doesn’t get set a high baseline over the next four weeks, it will be very difficult for him to start at any time this season, let alone the opener.

OTAs are when the basic installation of the playbook occurs. I liken that to algebra. One day’s lesson plans builds off the previous day’s, and if you don’t get the first day down, then you are playing catch-up. And make no mistake about it: If Pickett falls behind, Tomlin isn’t about to wait for him. He feels he has a responsibility to the other 89 players on the roster, and 52 when it comes to the season to put the best team out on the field, that he feels can win games.

In no way are they going to wait for a player to get up to speed, hence the “moving train” line that Tomlin always uses with his players. The Steelers are in it to win it every year, regardless of what you think about their roster and if they have a legitimate shot at a championship or not.

Sitting a first-round quarterback doesn’t guarantee success (Trey Lance, Jordan Love, Paxton Lynch, Jared Goff, Johnny Manziel), and neither does starting one early (Trubisky, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Blake Bortles). It is all about feeling and how quickly they develop, and that’s where Pickett has the advantage.

Pickett will turn 24 on June 6 and started 49 collegiate games over five years at Pitt. He had 1,674 throws in college under his belt before he ever put on a Steelers helmet — including a season in which he ran concepts from Matt Canada’s offense under Pitt offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. Watson took over for Canada at Pitt after Canada recruited Pickett. Watson kept a lot of the same stuff intact even though Canada left.

All of those things give Pickett a leg up compared to most rookie quarterbacks. Colbert and Tomlin mentioned his maturity several times, and Colbert pointed it out one last time when Pickett came in for his introductory news conference earlier in the month.

“It just reaffirmed for me the maturity and just the really good feeling you have about having Kenny Pickett be your quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Colbert said. “Sometimes you take that for granted until you get the young men in the rooms, but it was great to see him and have him around.”

Pickett can win the starting job, and he has been already put in a better position to do so than the last time they drafted a quarterback in Rudolph. Pickett has the luxury of being with one of the best quarterback coaches in the league with Mike Sullivan, who coached Eli Manning and was an offensive coordinator on a couple of occasions with the Giants and the Buccaneers. The Steelers also hired an assistant quarterbacks coach in David Corley.

When Rudolph was drafted, the Steelers were one of three NFL teams that didn’t have a dedicated quarterbacks coach. He spent his rookie year behind Ben Roethlisberger and Joshua Dobbs, meaning practice reps were few and far between. The Steelers seemingly have learned from their mistakes and have given Pickett everything he needs to succeed.

And of course, they would love to see Pickett grab the job from the start. The Steelers have one of the youngest offenses in the NFL. Only one potential starter (Mason Cole, who turned 26 in March) is currently older than 25. The only offensive player who could be playing on an expiring contract is Diontae Johnson, and that can change by the start of the season.

Being able to grow an entire unit together, that includes Pickett, at once would be ideal. That might require some growing pains early on, but give me young and talented over old and talented every day of the week.

So, everything definitely swings in Pickett’s favor to be the Steelers quarterback in Cincinnati in Week 1, including the ability to move on from Rudolph as early as September and Trubisky as early as next offseason. The team has contractual control over Pickett through the 2026 season.

That’s enticing.

But it is also all up to Pickett. The control is in his hands, starting with the next month. If he can grasp the offense and show that he can make plays as he did at Pitt, it’s not going to matter to Tomlin what the logical entry point will be for Pickett.

It will be Week 1 and Tomlin wouldn’t think twice about it. As it should be.

– – –

The death of QB DWAYNE HASKINS included massive intoxication at 6:30 in the morning, a fight earlier in the evening, a female companion in the car and assorted other drugs.  ESPN.com:

Dwayne Haskins was legally drunk when he was struck by a dump truck on I-595 in Florida and killed on April 9, according to a toxicology report released by the office of the Broward County Medical Examiner on Monday.

According to the toxicology report, two separate samples taken from Haskins’ body had alcohol levels of .20 and .24, both of which are above the legal limit in Florida of .08. According to the report, Haskins also tested positive for ketamine and norketamine, drugs that are used by medical professionals as anesthetics but that also have been known to be used recreationally.

The medical examiner ruled Haskins’ cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and the manner of his death as an accident.

The medical examiner’s investigation report stated that when Haskins’ car was found on the side of the highway, a “female companion” was in the vehicle and told the Florida Highway Patrol that Haskins had left the vehicle to try to find gas. The woman’s relationship to Haskins was not known, according to the report.

According to 911 audio released in April, Haskins’ wife told a 911 dispatcher that the quarterback was walking to get gas on the morning he was struck and killed. Kalabrya Haskins told the 911 dispatcher that her husband called her early April 9 and told her he was getting out of his vehicle to get gas and that he would call her back when he returned to the car. When she didn’t hear back, she called 911 and requested that dispatch check on him.

Haskins, 24, was in Florida that weekend to train with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates. According to the investigation report, a Steelers official told the medical examiner’s office that the night before his death, Haskins went to dinner with a cousin or friend, whose name was “Joey,” and then later went to a nightclub, “possibly in Miami.”

“They drank heavily and at some point, they got into a fight, separating,” the report states.

A final crash report released by the Florida Highway Patrol in April said Haskins was walking on the westbound side of I-595 when he entered into the travel lanes and into the path of the dump truck, which was traveling in the center lane. The front left of the dump truck struck Haskins.

The report concluded that Haskins was improperly in the roadway, and the driver of the dump truck wasn’t found to have taken any actions that contributed to the accident, based on the judgment of the investigation officer. Haskins was also struck by a second car traveling beside the dump truck that took evasive maneuvers to avoid him, but partially hit him on its right side undercarriage, according to the report.

NEW ENGLAND

QB MAC JONES is growing on the Patriots, literally.  Mike Reiss of ESPN.com:

New England Patriots teammates see a new and improved Mac Jones as the quarterback enters his second season with the team.

“He’s in the best shape of his life,” receiver Kendrick Bourne said. “He looks really good. His stomach is gone.

“When you’re a rookie, you just don’t know it until you go through it for a year. So he’s definitely a lot more in shape than he ever was, just dominating in conditioning. It’s dope to see.”

Jones, the 2021 first-round draft pick from Alabama who started every game in his rookie NFL season, told reporters that has been a big part of his offseason plan.

“I just cleaned up my diet. I’ve learned more this offseason than I probably ever have about nutrition, sleep, wellness, all that stuff,” the 6-foot-3, 214-pound Jones said after Monday’s practice.

“At the same time, I need to be able to maintain my weight and be able to take hits. There’s a fine balance for every player. I’ve definitely trimmed down on the body fat, and I’ll get a chance to bulk up before the season starts and be able to absorb hits.”

Jones’ improved physical makeup isn’t the only notable change with the Patriots’ offense, as longtime coordinator Josh McDaniels has departed to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Monday marked the first time reporters were granted access to watch the Patriots practice this offseason, and head coach Bill Belichick’s involvement with the offense was notable. In the final 11-on-11 drill, Belichick was reading off a card to Jones, who then relayed information to his teammates.

Former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge is working with the quarterbacks, while former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia is with the offensive line. Both coaches also took leadership roles with the offense at times Monday.

Belichick hasn’t named a coordinator or play-caller at this point.

“It’s not my decision to make and we have plenty of time for all that. So right now, it’s about the guys and I getting on the same page,” Jones said. “It always goes back to the players, and we’re excited to grow together and learn from whoever is coaching us.”

Of Belichick spending more time with the offense Monday, Jones said: “Obviously he’s a great defensive mind, but he also has great offensive knowledge.”

Belichick’s presence with the offense was also noted by Bourne, the six-year NFL veteran in his second season with the Patriots.

“He’s been more present, helping us out. It’s new, so he wants it to go a certain way,” he said. “He’s a defensive guy, so it’s almost just embracing and taking advantage of the time we’re going to get with him.”

THIS AND THAT

JASON LaCANFORA’s BREAKOUT CANDIDATES

Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com offers six players likely to breakout in 2022 per his calculations:

It’s time for a public service announcement, the likes of which I feel obligated to issue every year around this time: Beware of reports about how great any football player looks in May, especially those who have yet to fulfill their promise to this point.

We are about to enter peak OTA periods. And with no real football going on, far too much will be made in many instances about faux football. Legions of players, we will come to find, are in the best shape of their life. They have put the past behind them. They look primed for a big step forward. The buzz is almost palpable.

Of course, this is difficult enough to discern in July and August, when full-padded practices and exhibition games can often end up looking like fool’s gold when it comes to breakthrough players. Players going from busts to bursts. Rotational players about to win prominent starting positions. All of that good stuff. Yes, there are certainly situations around the league of some individuals who have shed extra weight, transformed their bodies, and who might be trending upward, but when it comes to actual production and projections and making determinations about who might be on the come, we are so far removed from anything resembling actual football that I find myself cringing about some receiver who caught 10 passes in a glorified walkthrough, or which running back looked more elusive than ever dancing through defenses that can’t touch him if they tried.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some players I will be watching very closely over the summer to gauge their progress. There are undoubtedly a handful of emerging players, still early in their careers, who I believe could be poised for much bigger things in 2022. Not because of anything they might do in shorts and cleats in the month of May or June, but more because of what they have flashed to this point and the circumstances around them this season that could turn in their favor.

Here are a few:

Gabriel Davis, Bills, WR

Who didn’t like what this kid put on film in the playoffs? How about putting up over 200 yards and four touchdowns against the Chiefs? That will go a long way to building up more currency and volume in targets from Josh Allen. You cannot defend everyone in this offense and Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders moving on should work in his favor, too. Davis looks like the No. 2 receiver to me, someone who can make strides on the outside and is more than a one-game wonder.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Browns, LB

A “hybrid” defender can end up sounding better in theory than in practice quite often in this league. Jack of all trades, but master of none. An off ball linebacker/safety who doesn’t make enough plays on the ball – in flight or in someone else’s hands – to merit where he was selected or how much he was paid. But JOK is the real deal. When healthy, his impact was significant for a defense still in need of game-changers.

Kwity Paye, Colts, EDGE

Sure, the 2021 class of draft pass rushers was not nearly as deep or robust as the options at the top of this year’s draft. But Paye was the best of that bunch (“Kwity Paye and then hope and pray,” is how one evaluator put it to me leading up to that draft). I believe new coordinator Gus Bradley will cut Paye loose more this season and I can see him making a more consistent impact after flashing some good stuff as a rookie.

Irv Smith Jr., Vikings, TE

I was super high on this young man making the leap a year ago and he was well on his way until a season-ending injury wiped it all out before it began. He was starting to form a bond with Kirk Cousins. He was putting his hands and athleticism together. He remains the only real tight end on the roster, and he will have a chance to feature in what should be a very explosive offense. I believe new coach Kevin O’Connell will help him tap into his potential.

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins, QB

I love the track team assembled around him. I buy that this young QB is in fact the same kid who set records at Alabama and had teams tanking for him. The madness of playing under dueling offensive coordinators — or mystery coordinators or whatever the hell Brian Flores was trying to do on the offensive staff — is behind him. It’s a fresh start under Mike McDaniel. The pass-catchers will get a ton of YAC. The offensive line is much improved. They will run the ball. Tua won’t have to be super flashy to be very effective. I like the fit.

Rashod Bateman, Ravens, WR

He is in position to be the lead dog of this receiving group by a large margin. Trading Hollywood Brown will prove to be addition by subtraction in part because of Bateman’s superior frame, hands, strength and catch radius. Lamar Jackson does his best work with bigger targets and Bateman will have every chance to shine in the red zone. Even if Baltimore does lean back into more 13 personnel (like they did in Jackson’s MVP season of 2019), this kid will be on the field in all critical situations. Don’t get caught up in the yardage (the Ravens will run the ball more than anyone else); I could see double-digit TD totals.

BROADCAST NEWS

Andrew Marchand of the New York Post passes along some advice for Drew Brees:

After just one season at NBC, it is possible Drew Brees could be on the move to Fox Sports, The Post has learned.

Fox’s No. 1 game analyst role continues to be unoccupied after Troy Aikman fled for ESPN and a five-year, $90 million contract.

While Greg Olsen remains the leading in-house candidate to become Fox Sports’ No. 1 NFL game analyst, sources say that Brees is in the mix.

Even if Brees leaves NBC for Fox, Olsen could still be promoted to Fox’s lead team with Kevin Burkhardt.

In that scenario, Brees would team with Joe Davis or Adam Amin on the No. 2 team. Brees and Olsen were both rookie NFL analysts last year.

The Post previously reported that Burkhardt will replace Joe Buck as Fox’s lead NFL game caller. Buck followed Aikman to ESPN and “Monday Night Football.”

In his first season at NBC, Brees grew to enjoy games more than the studio, according to sources. Amazon also likes Brees, which could create the possibility of him doing work on “Thursday Night Football” and then calling games for Fox on Sundays.

NBC brought in Brees believing he could be its future No. 1 NFL game analyst, but then extended Cris Collinsworth’s contract to call “Sunday Night Football” games, leaving Brees with the opportunity to continue to analyze Notre Dame home games, a few NFL games and the weekly Sunday night studio show.

With Brees’ preference to be on games, Fox could be an alluring possibility. Despite the playoff game that Brees struggled on with Mike Tirico, Fox Sports executives think Brees still has potential, according to sources. Brees does have the big-name quarterback pedigree that is similar to Aikman and CBS’ Tony Romo.

One other note about Fox and NBC: they have been working closely together on the USFL. Plus, NBC just allowed Dale Earnhardt Jr. to work Talladega for Fox on Sunday.

Brees is still in play after Dan Orlovsky opted to take a promotion at ESPN. This from Marchand a couple of days ago:

The NFL TV free agency carousel keeps turning, and Dan Orlovsky will join Steve Levy and Louis Riddick Jr. in ESPN’s No. 2 NFL TV booth, The Post has learned. 

ESPN declined comment.

The position is significant because, while ESPN has signed Joe Buck and Troy Aikman as its No. 1 team, Levy and Riddick will call a handful of games this year and then around five per season beginning in 2023. Levy and Riddick also received contract extensions, cementing them on NFL games.

Orlovsky was pursued by Fox Sports, according to sources, where he would have fronted a five-day-a-week NFL show and done some games on Sundays, though he was not a candidate for the top jobs, according to sources. Kevin Burkhardt has replaced Buck as Fox’s No. 1 game-caller, while Greg Olsen is the leading candidate to be his partner, with Tom Brady’s arrival as an analyst to be determined.

Instead of moving, Orlovsky will stay as an ESPN workhorse, appearing on “NFL Live,” “First Take” and “Get Up,” while continuing to call college football games and now the NFL.

Orlovsky, 38, essentially replaces Brian Griese, who teamed with Levy and Riddick on the No. 1 “Monday Night Football” team the past two years. With his contract up, Griese left to be the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach.

Dan Orlovsky will be part of ESPN’s No. 2 NFL broadcast booth.